Emerging Voices in ICT and agriculture - CTA Publishing

MORE ICTS, FEWER IMPORTS
My name is Nawsheen Hosenally. I’m 21 years old
and from Mauritius. I’m a final year student at the
University of Mauritius, where I’m studying agriculture
and specializing in agricultural extension.
I joined the Agricultural Society of the University
of Mauritius as secretary for 1 year and after that
I wanted to go further and joined AIESEC.
Youth expect to have entrepreneurial opportunities
in agriculture,, where they get the support
of the government/other organizations to start
a business and contribute to the economy or get
a job in the agricultural sector. Many youngsters
have studied agriculture and have many ideas,
but due to lack of opportunities and incentives,
they have simply changed their field of study.
Participating in the ARDYIS project has been one
of the best decisions I have taken in my life so
far. It started with the submission of the essay,
after which all participants were registered in a
group for discussion forums where participants
shared our opinions/ideas on specific topics. This
has increased my knowledge and interest in ICTs,
youth and agriculture. Then, we took part in
training on the use of Web 2.0 tools in Accra,
Ghana which has proven to be very useful as I
Nawsheen Hosenally Bibi,
Mauritius, Eastern Africa
The reason I’m studying
agriculture is because I’m
interested in global issues such
as hunger, poverty and climate
change, and my field of study
enables me to contribute to
making a positive impact on
society.
find I am regularly using what I have learnt there
in my studies and other professional work. We
are being notified about different opportunities
for internship/scholarship/ competition, which
is exactly what we need.
My blog: http://nawsheenh.blogspot.com/
Essay summary
ICTs could do much to help Mauritius achieve its
goal of increasing agricultural output, while
keeping production costs low and using more sustainable
farming methods. The small island state
is highly dependent on imports, producing just
23% of the food it needs. But a national campaign
launched in 2008 to lower this level of dependence
must be flanked by a strategy to use communication
technologies if it is to have any real
impact. Crucially, the ICTs must be matched to the
conditions – and the budgets – of farmers.
For smallholder producers, the mobile phone is
the ideal tool. Most smallholders have a small
plot of land and are either illiterate or only
attended primary school. The mobile phone
answers their needs perfectly, being simple and
| 18 Emering Voices in ICT and agriculture | PART 1